Alum Balances Professional Soccer and Psychology Research

PA Cyber alumna Josie Valeri, Class of 2019, holds two demanding careers: professional soccer and psychology research.

Josie is fascinated by eclectic ideas. In her publications, she explores living in a digital world. “Even though we spend much of our lives online, how do we remain embodied in our physical selves?” she asks. At a time when society faults digital living and screen time, Josie says we need to embrace hybridity—the ways online and in-person experiences intersect.

A member of the American Psychological Association, she is working on an article that argues our lived experience can be algorithmic, and the algorithm doesn’t necessarily apply only to the online realm. She also writes about identity.

Josie says her high school coursework with PA Cyber helped shape her views on hybridity. She learned to work independently and be self-motivated. During her senior year of high school, she took community college courses and succeeded in soccer. She met a coach who was also a psychologist. Their conversations led Josie to study psychology at Point Park University, where she completed three degrees in six years and earned a doctorate in critical psychology in 2025.

PA Cyber teacher Bethanie Moreschi used to coach soccer at Point Park University, and she got to know Josie well. “It’s been great to watch her grow from that freshman year goofball into the amazing woman she has become. Josie has the biggest heart and is very driven. It showed when I was coaching her on the field and it still shows today.”

While earning a master’s degree, she played semi-professionally in Canada. In the middle of her doctorate, she signed her first professional soccer contract with a Greek soccer club.

“My background in psychology definitely helps when I’m on the field,” says Josie. “From emotional and nervous system regulation to remaining present in each moment, the game evolves in a very fun way! In turn, my professional play experiences enhance the work I do in psychology by inspiring the very topics I research and explore.”

Today, Josie plays professional soccer in Greece for a club called Kalloni SC, and she has a book in progress with Palgrave Macmillan. “I don’t think I would be able to have as much self-motivation, self-determination, structure, or discipline without my high school courses at PA Cyber,” she says.

Follow her on Instagram @josie.valeri.